Saudi Arabia is preparing to open its first alcohol store in the capital Riyadh which will serve exclusively non-Muslim diplomats, a source familiar with the plans and a document showed on January 24, said a Reuters report by Aziz El Yaakoubi.
Customers will have to register via a mobile app, get a clearance code from the foreign ministry, and respect monthly quotas with their purchases, the document said.
The move is part of wider plans known as Vision 2030 to build a post-oil economy, the report added.
The new store is located in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, a neighbourhood where embassies and diplomats reside and will be “strictly restricted” to non-Muslims, the document said.
It was unclear if other non-Muslim expatriates will have access to the store. Millions of expatriates live in Saudi Arabia but most of them are Muslim workers from Asia and Egypt.
The report further stated that a source familiar with the plans said the store is expected to open in the coming weeks.
Alcohol has been available only through diplomatic mail or on the black market.
Vision 2030 also includes developing local industries and logistics hubs, and aims at adding hundreds of thousands of jobs for Saudi nationals, the report said.